Calendering mechanism for card sliver working machines



June 1943- E. c. GWALTNEY ETAL 2,322,711

CALENDERING MECHANISM FOR CARD SLIVER WORKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g2 INVENTORS Mm June 22, 1943. E. c. GWALTNEY ET AL 2,322,711

CALENDERING MECHANISM FOR CARD SLIVER WORKING MACHINES Filed Sept; 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 q r dIF-IVZNTORS Q l I. I

Patented June 22, 1943 CALENDERING MECHANISM FOR CARD SLIVER WORKING MACHINES Eugene C. Gwaltney, Biddeford, and Paul B. West, Saco, Maine, assignors to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Maine Application September 27, 1941, Serial No. 412,630

7 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanisms for calendering a sliver of cotton or other fibers either during the delivery of said sliver from the machine producing said sliver, or upon delivery at various other points at the subsequent operations performed on it as, for example, on a card, in a coiler, on a comber, a drawing frame, or other machines producing said sliver.

As is well understood by those skilled in this art, the sliver delivered by a card customarily runs between a pair of compression rolls after leaving the trumpet, and it is then led into a coiler which disposes it in the customary coiled formation in a roving can. Later these cans go to a drawing frame where the sliver is drafted, doubled, and again deposited in roving cans. Since such cans must be transferred by hand from one operation to another, and the machine is stopped when the ends have run out or the cans into which the sliver is being delivered are filled, and also while the ends are pieced up or new ends are run in, it is evident that if the quantity of sliver which a standard can will hold can be substantially increased, an increase in machine production also will be realized.

We have found that it is possible to increase the quantity of sliver that the standard roving can will hold by from twenty-five to fifty percent. by calendering it under a fairly high pressure say, for example, forty pounds for a sliver delivered by a card to, say, one hundred and fifty pounds per strand for slivers delivered by a drawing frame.

In attempting to utilize this idea in a practical way, however, we have found that the problem is complicated by many conditions not heretofore encountered in machines of the character above mentioned. The rolls customarily used to guide the sliver away from a drawing frame trumpet, or from a card, have been either plain or grooved, but attempts to use these rolls for the purposes of this invention merely by applying the desired degree of weight to them, has not proved at all practical. The requirements of this calendering operation naturally suggests the use of tongued and groovedrolls, but the prior art constructions are not satisfactory for the purposes of this invention because the contacting calendering surfaces quickly become roughened and unuseable when they are operated under pressure. Attempts to cure this objection introduce difficulties in piecing up or threading up the machine. Also, provision must be made for the quick release or removal of one of the rolls to clear a jam and for the speedy return of the parts to their normal running condition again after the accumulation of fiber has been cleared out.

These factors involve difficulties not met heretofore in machines of this type, and they are made especially troublesome by the fact that the calendering pressures are so high that it is difficult for a machine operator to make the necessary relative movements of the rolls required in the course of servicing the machines.

The present invention deals fundamentally with these conditions, and it aims to devise a thoroughly practical solution for them.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation, with parts shown in section, of a calendering mechanism embodying this invention and designed primarily for use at the delivery end of a card;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view, somewhat diagrammatic in character, showing a calendering roll embodying this invention and applied to a coiler head;

Fig. 4 is an end view illustrating the invention as embodied in the delivery rolls for a drawing frame;

Fig. 5 is a vertical, sectional view showing the invention applied at an intermediate point to the delivery rolls of a drawing frame; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the mechanism there shown comprises upper and lower calender rolls 2 and 3, respectively, both mounted in a supporting frame 4. The lower roll is provided with a relatively thin, circumferential, flatedged flange or rib 5 which runs in a circumferential groove 6 in the upper roll, and the sliver to be calendered is fed between these two circumferential surfaces and is compressed by them. These surfaces, and the lateral surfaces of the groove, are made very accurately and they must be extremely smooth and highly polished in order to operate satisfactorily. If they were allowed to meet and run in contact with each other, they would quickly be roughened to such a degree that the roll would become unfit for use. In order to protect these surfaces, therefore, the upper roll is provided with two collar sections a-a at opposite sides of the groove, and these sec- ,The shaft of the lower roll is mounted in fixed bearings, but that for the upper roll is supported for rising and falling movement to accommodate variations in the cross-sectional dimensions of the sliver fed between them, and the two rolls are geared together as shown at I. Thus these rolls are positively revolved at the speeds necessary to give the desired calendering action. v The calendering pressure is applied to the. up per roll by means of two coiled springs acting on bearing blocks which rest on the journal portions of the upper roll. One of these springs is shown in the drawing at 8 and its bearing block is illustrated at 9. Corresponding parts are similarly positioned to act on the journal at the opposite side of the frame. As best shown in Fig. 2, the spring 8 is backed up'by a presser bracket In which is mounted to slide on an upright pin or post I! screw-threaded into the frame at one side of the journal, and a lever I3 is pivoted at H on this post, the lever being provided with a cam-shaped end which bears against the upper surface of the shank portion of the bracket. When this lever is in the position shown in Fig. 2, it holds the spring 8 compressed and thus applies a calendering pressure through the spring to the bearing block 9. If, however, it is desired to release the upper roll to remove it in order to clear a jam, or for any other reason, then the roll cover 15, which simply. rests by gravity in its operative position, is removed, after which the cam lever it may be swung over through an angle of 180', thus allowing the spring to expand to the extent of its preload. Thereafter the spring and its housing or presser ill may be swung out of their operative, positions, the bearing block 9 may be removed, and when similar operations have been performed at the opposite end of the frame, the roll, with its gear, may be lifted completely out of the frame. is replaced, the blocks are returned to their operative positions, and the. spring pressure is again applied to them by a reversal of the operations above described. A plunger ll, including a disk or head against which the lower end of the spring bears, and a stem rigid with said disk and extending through the spring and its housing H3, is provided above the housing with a small head adapted to bear againstthe upper surface of the housing when the spring is not compressed, and thus to retain the spring fastened to the housing when the parts are not in their operative positions.

As above indicated, a minimum clearance must always be maintained between the peripheral surfaces of the parts and t in order to prevent one from injuring the other. So far as the protec-- tion ofv these parts is concerned, a clearance of three or four thousandths of an inch is suflicient and it can be increased to suit manufacturing requirements, but if it is made too great it introduces dimculties in piecing up. The upper limit might be made as much as, say, thirty thousandths of an inch for some kinds of work. Preferably, also, vthe tongue 5 should have a very definite lateral clearance with the opposite walls of the groove and this may be in the neighbor- When the jam has been cleared the roll no material end thrust is produced by the calendering action, but the bearings for the two shafts may, if necessary, be so made as to limit end thrust to prescribed values.

A clearer l8, Fig. 1, screwed to the cover I5, is provided with a blade running in the bottom of the groove 0 to wipe lint out of the groove. Also, another clearer i1 is removably supported on inclined lugs ll-IO at opposite sides of the frame and is provided with a felt, flannel, or other similar surfacing, to wip lint from the surfaces of thelower roll and keep them clean.

A calender roll structure of this type has been found to give results immensely superior to the unweighted rolls customarily usedat the delivery end of a card, coiler, drawing frame or the like. At the same time itpreserves the advantage of the old arrangement in providing for the quick removal of the top roll in order to clear a iam'and for its easy and prompt replacement when that operation has been completed.

In applying the invention to a coiler head, as shown in Fig. 3, rolls of the same form as those shown at 2 and 3 in Fig. 1 are used, these rolls being indicated at 2" and 3', respectively. In this instance, "however, they are mounted substantially side by side, the bite of the tongued and grooved portions of the rolls being in line with the delivery end of the trumpet 20. In this case the removable roll 2' is supported in a pair of parallel arms, one of which is shown at 2i l, and both of which are secured on a ro"k shaft 22 so that as the sliver is fed through the trumpet between the rolls and passes into the tube 28, it is compressed and calendered as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It should be understood that the rolls 2' and 3' are geared together and are driven in the same way as are the usual rolls forming part of the coiler head, the latter rolls being replaced by the special rolls provided by this invention.

For the purpose of weighting the movableroll 2', the bonnet 2t, which is pivoted at the back of the frame in the usual manner for rising and falling movement, is here arranged to rest upon the trumpet tongue, M. This trumpet tongue also supports th weight of the trumpet 2c and transmits the load of both to anarm or lever til at the point 25, so that essentially the same amount of weighting is applied to the grooved roll 2' as is imposed on the corresponding rollv shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Since the tongue, the

bonnet and the cover 24 are all pivoted for swinging movement upwardly and backwardly out of their operating positions, this weight can be quickly removed from the grooved roll in the event of a jam, after which the latter roll can be swung around the axis of the rock shaft 22 where it will be entirely out of the way. a In applying this invention to a drawing fram one convenient arrangement particularly adapted for the five-roll type of drawing frame is illustrated in Fig. 4. Here the rolls 2a and 2b, respectively, correspond to the rolls 2 and 3 of Figs. 1 and 2. A sliver issuing from the front pair of drawing rolls, indicated at 27, runs forwardly to the trumpet 28 which guidesit between the tongue in upwardly inclined guideways at opposite ends of the frame, one of these blocks being shown in Fig. 4 at 30. In order to weight this roll a lever or link 3| is pivoted at 32 to the block and extends through, a coiled spring 33 which is backed up by a thimble 34 bearing against a cap nut threaded on the lower end of the rod. Another thimble 36, reversely positioned with reference to the thimble 34 and telescoping with the latter, encloses the opposite end of the spring. The same construction is associated with the bearing block at the opposite end of the frame.

When this assembly is in the position shown in Fig, 4, the springs are compressed by the engagement of the rounded closed ends of the thimbles 34 with the bottom of the frame piece 31, and the desired loading or pressure thus is applied to the grooved roll 2a through the levers 3| and pivots 32. Normally these rolls are protected by a cover 38 pivoted at 40. Consequently, if a jam occurs this cover can be swung up into its dotted line position, after which the spring casings 3436 can be swung in a counter-clockwise direction around the pivot 32, thus releasing the pressure on the roll 2a. Next the roll can be lifted out of the frame, the jam can be cleared, and the parts then may be returned to the relationship illustrated in Fig. 4. As the springs 33 and their casings are swung downwardly into their normal positions, the rounded upper ends of the thimbles 36, bearing against the rounded surfaces 1' of the frame piece 31, act as cam followers and are forced by said surfaces down into their spring compressing positions. When the thimble 36 is free from contact with the part 31, its movement upwardly on the link 3|] is limited by the shoulder g on said link.

In some cases, as for example in a four-roll drawing frame with four or six deliveries, it is preferable to apply the calendering pressure to the rolls at approximately the middle of the span. Figs. 5 and 6. Here the calendering rolls are indicated at 2" and 3", respectively, these rolls corresponding to the rolls 2 and 3 of Fig. 1. In this arrangement, as in those above described, the tongued roll is mounted in stationary bearings and the grooved roll is supported in inclined bearings, as in the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, so that it can be lifted out of the frame.

As shown, a bearing bracket 4| encircles the removable roll 2" at an intermediate point in its length, this bracket being held axially in the desired position by means of collars 4242, and the other roll 3" also is provided with a special bearing bushing 43. The bracket 4| is bored to receive a heavy weighting spring 44, together with two blocks or plungers 45 and 46 which bear against opposite ends of the spring. Acting on the latter plunger is the cam-shaped end of a lever 41, pivoted at 48 in ears 50-40 integral with the bracket 4|. bracket it is provided with additional ears, one of which is shown at 5|, in which another lever 52 is fulcrumed, and the upper end of this lever is shaped to fit against the bushing 43 while its lower end has a stud 53 threaded therethrough and bearing against the plunger 45.

It will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 5 that when the parts are in the relationship there shown, the spring 44 is compressed and its reaction is transmitted through the bracket 4| and bushing 43 in a direction to press the calendering rolls very firmly against each other. If, however, it should be desired to release the grooved roll and to remove it from the machine, then the cover 54 can be swung up out of its operative position and the lever 41 turned into the position indicated in dotted lines where it relieves the spring 44 of all pressure, thus permitting the lever 52 to be swung downwardly around the axis of the roll 2" until it clears the bushing 43. Thereafter the roll 2", with its bracket, can be lifted out of the frame, the bracket being swung on and supported by the roll.

Calendering mechanisms, such as those above shown, made in accordance with this invention, perform an important function in increasing very materially the quantity of sliver which can be coiled in a standard can, and these mechanisms add so little to the expense of manufacture of the machines in which they are used that the increase in cost is not important. When a sliver is compressed between plain calender rolls, it assumes the form of a wide, very flat, ribbon. From this form it fluffs up very easily and takes on more or less of a rounded cross-sectional shape. However, when the same sliver is compressed between grooved rolls of the character above described, it is prevented from spreading out, and it is delivered from the grooved calender rolls in a strand of approximately rectangular cross-sectional form. This fact also is a reason for the substantial increase in volume of sliver Such an arrangement is illustrated in l At the rearward end of this which can be coiled in a standard roving can when it has been calendered in mechanisms such as those disclosed in the foregoing specification.

In the mechanismsabove described, the clearance between the calendering surfaces on the edge of the tongue 5, Fig. l, and the bottom of the groove 6 preferably is produced by making these surfaces of substantially the same diameter as the spacing collars on the respective rolls so that any material wiping action on the sliver is avoided, the diameter of one of the surfaces5 or 6, or both, being reduced by the extremely small dimension necessary to provide the clearance above described. It is evident, however, that such a clearance can be provided in other ways.

The matter of avoiding the creation of any material wiping action on the sliver, as just mentioned, obviously requires that the calendering surfaces revolve at substantially the same peripheral speed. This, in turn, means that the surfaces of the collars of the rolls 2 and 3 shall also rotate at substantially the same peripheral speeds, one simply rolling on the other, which means that the collars are of substantially the pitch diameter, respectively, of the two gears I that drive them. Also, in these mechanisms, the grooved roll has been supported for movement into and out of cooperative relationship to the tongued roll, and the latter has been supported in fixed bearings. It is immaterial, however, which roll is supported for removal. It will be evident, also, that the invention may be embodied in other forms than those shown without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim as new is:

1. In a machine adapted to produce a sliver, the combination of a pair of rolls for calendering said sliver, one of said rolls being provided with a circumferential tongue and the other with a circumferential groove to receive said tongue, and the calendering surfaces being formed, respectively, on the edge of said tongue and thebottom of said groove, each of said rolls having collars at opposite sides of the tongued and grooved portions thereof, respectively; means supporting said rolls with the collars of one running in contact with those of the other, said calendering surfaces having approximately the same diameter as the collars of the respective rolls on which they are formed, means for driving said rolls at substantially the same peripheral 1, in which said calendering surfaces and the rollsroll to hold it normally pressed against its oompanion roll and is operable to release the spring pressure to free the latter roll for removal.

5. A construction according to preceding claim 1, in which said means for supporting the rolls in cooperative relationship to each other is arranged to permit one of the rolls to be readily moved out of said relationship to facilitate the clearing of ,a jam, and said weighting means includes a compression spring and a lever provided with a cam end operable to compress said spring to weight the rolls.

on which they are formed are so dimensioned as to maintain a minimum clearance between said surfaces of betweenthree and thirty thousandths of an inch.

3. A construction according to preceding claim 1, in which said calendering surfaces and the rolls on which they are formed are so dimensioned as to maintain a minimum clearance between said surfaces of between three and. thirty thousandths of an inch, and a lateral clearance between said tongue and the walls of the groove of approximately four or five thousandths of an inch.

4. A construction according to preceding claim 1, in which said means for supporting the rolls in cooperative relationship to each other is arranged topermit one of the rolls to be readily moved out of said relationship to facilitate the clearing of a jam, and said weighting means includes one or more springs acting on the latter 6. A construction according to preceding claim 1, in which said means for supporting the rolls in cooperative relationship to each other is arranged to permit one of the rolls to be readily moved out of said relationship to facilitate the clearing of a jam, and said weighting means includes a spring and a bracket carrying said spring and mounted for movement into and out of pressure-applying relationship to said rolls.

' 7. A construction according to preceding claim 1, in which said means for supporting the rolls in cooperative relationship to each other is arranged to permit one of the rolls to be readily moved out of said relationship to facilitate the clearing of a jam, and said weighting means includes a spring and a lever carrying said spring and cooperating with a, relatively stationary part of the machine to compress said machine to weight the rolls. Y

EUGENE C. GWALTNEY.

PAUL B. WEST. 

